And now, the winner for last round’s $75 OnlineFabricStore gift card giveaway is:

Congrats Chrissie! I’ll be in touch with your gift card code! Thanks again to everyone who participated — I look forward to hearing how you got started sewing in this round’s giveaway.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

We will pick the winner on Thursday March 6 based on our determination of our favorite comment, be it the most creative, sympathetic, funniest, most clever, or wittiest one. The prize as stated above will be your choice of 5 yards of fabric (up to $80 Value). In addition to these rules, this Fabric Face-off Giveaway will be governed by the General Rules for Giveaways, Contests and Sweepstakes located here.

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I started sewing at 13 years old, many years ago, as I could not afford to buy clothes for my first Barbie Doll. My mother bought me a pattern for the doll and gave me many scraps of fabric to begin my project. I had the best dressed Barbie doll in NE Iowa. From there, I began sewing in my freshman class of Home Economics. When I married, I had someone else make my wedding dress, however, I did make bridesmaids dresses and their hair decor. As a mother, I sewed matching outfits for my two daughters and myself. My girls would sit on the huge sewing table my husband built for me and pull the fabric as I was pushing it through from my side. I adore fabrics, color and design!

Would you believe that my HUSBAND actually taught me how to sew?! He’s a former Marine and had to learn (on a super heavy duty sewing machine) to sew parachute packs!! How awesome is that?!
I wanted to learn because I just have never been able to do it…he was successful in teaching me, and now I love it!!

I am loving the Jacobean fabric I would love to use this material in our bedroom. We will be moving soon into the Parsonage at the church my husband pastors. I am thinking that the Jacobean fabric would be great for curtains. I have painted our bedroom Cumberland Fog a beautiful shade of blue. Go Team Jacobean!

Even starting this comment brings tears to my eyes. Let me explain. Whenever I think about sewing I think of my grandmother. She was an amazing seamstress. She made dolls, sewing fabulously intricate clothes for them. She made all of my Mother’s clothes for her young adult life, even sewing her wedding dress and all her bridesmaids dresses. When I came along my grandmother dressed me in amazing outfits, even sewing matching bonnets. She also sewed many of my homecoming and prom dresses. I showed an interest in sewing when I was an early teen, around 13 years old, and my grandmother taught me. She showed me how to thread the sewing machine, thread a bobbin, fix minor repairs regarding the sewing machine, and sew several different stitches. I remember when she first taught me how to make a button hole, or sew on a zipper. We really connected when it came to sewing. About 3 years ago my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimers. Watching her decline has been difficult. What was once second nature has now left her completely. She will be moving into a care facility this week, and that is why the tears are so fresh. I sewed my last item on her sewing machine just last week, making custom curtains for my sidelight windows. It was such a bittersweet moment knowing that neither she nor I will ever use that space again. It was filled with a lot of love and that I will never forget. It will be held in my heart. Now, I will be saving money to buy my own sewing machine and carry on her legacy as best I can for as long as I can.

So sorry to hear that Wendy. My first job in high school was taking care of a woman with severe Alzheimer’s and I saw the pain it brought to her family. I think it’s wonderful that you and your grandmother shared those experiences together and that you’ll have her through your sewing no matter what.

I have a number of nieces who noticed that I like to make hats! And they all want one! I would love to be able to make each one a special hat that they would like. Alas, I have a stash, but all lightweight cotton, not good for hats! You have soooo many lovely fabrics that would make special hats, I’d love to have this!!!

My mom tried many times to teach me to sew. She was an excellent seamstress who made my wardrobe when I was a tiny, scrawny kid–back then, I fit into clothes for much younger children, so she made cute, “cool” outfits to save me from wearing clothes with Winnie the Pooh on them to 5th grade.

But I had no patience. I am ashamed to remember storming away from the sewing machine in frustration…more than once. Eventually, she gave up trying to teach me since I wasn’t receptive to learning. After my mom died, I felt a strong pull to make a quilt. In addition to my mom’s sewing expertise, my grandmother was a lifelong quilter, belonging to a sewing guild until her death at 94 years old. I think I was so bereft I wanted the connection to these women I loved and missed. So it was back to the sewing machine for me.

Some days, when I’m pulling out tiny stitches because I’m not satisfied with their placement or I think I’m 1/16th of an inch off, I imagine my mom. I”m sure she is sympathetic, but I’ll bet there is some satisfaction there as she watches me learn to be patient, another one of her skills.

I learned to sew when I was eight years old. My maternal grandmother was a seamstress but my mother did not sew. She was a nurse. I was very tall for my age and ready made clothing did not fit, so I learned to sew to make clothes that would fit my frame. I joined a 4-h group when I was old enough and went on to excel in clothing and textiles, both on the local level and the state level. I have numerous judging trophies for clothing and textiles. As I married and had children, I did some sewing for them. Now I have transitioned into quilting although I have two beautiful grand daughters that I want to sew for. I just love fabric. I use it for home decorating. A yard or two of fabric makes great table covers or sofa throws.

My grandfather in old Germany was a tailor and my grandmother a seamstress. When my mother was quite young, she was also taught to sew and was making her own clothes at a very young age. So it was quite natural for me to be the next in line to pick up the trade! I was givin my first sewing machine at age 5! It was an old metal hand crank machine that I quickly mastered and made my dolls clothes on. By 7 years old I was making my own clothes. Always wanting to learn more, I began sewing pillows, curtains and bedding for my bedroom. As an adult, I’ve mastered the art of upholstery and have turned my knowledge into a business I adore!!!!

My grandmother taught me to sew on an old treadle machine when I was about 4 years old. She made everything on that machine but she wanted me to learn to quilt and so I did over the next 10 years. When she died I kept quilting. It’s been a long journey and I have improved a lot. I know she would approve of all the cutters and new machines and especially the great fabrics we have now. Never a day goes by that I don’t miss her.

My mom taught me to sew as a kid and what she taught me was reinforced in home economics. I really enjoyed sewing and remember vividly sewing outfits for myself in junior high:)
Over the years I’ve made curtains, pillows and started a quilt! I’ve even taken some great thrift store clothing finds and turned them into great pillows ….I love using the buttons instead of a zipper. With all the sewing I did, I was never a big fan of putting in zippers:)

Although I don’t regret home economics, I wish that I had been allowed to take shop! My husband and I build and refinish furniture as a hobby, and I love putting on the finishing touches with fabric. Some of my favorite projects have included OFS fabrics and refinished vintage chairs.

Funny how things turn out …. My grandfather and great-grandfather were carpenters. My husband has taught me a lot, and although he’s not much interested in me teaching him how to sew, he loves how creative I am and often comments on how I got the best of my mom and grandpa in me:)

Current projects include refinishing chairs, making curtains, chair cushions and pillows, and building a rustic kitchen table.

Ok i have to say i love the IKAT because of the seahorses!!!! i am obsessed with seahorses and been dying to buy some of that beautiful seahorse fabric! its my favorite color even. The whole story behind the seahorses is when my husband first joined the Army his first unit patch had a seahorse a rugged seahorse and well i have been collecting them ever since. 6 years now. all the fabrics are beautiful but I am very partial to seahorses thank you for the chance!

How did I learn to sew? I barely remember NOT being able to sew! My grandmother and her 2 sisters were all seamstresses. My great-aunts were professionals – one working on men’s suit tailoring, and the other working on custom tailoring for ladies’ clothing at Dewees Department Store. (She couldn’t believe how much they charged for her services!)

Fabric, notions, and sewing were all around me. My family made me delicate garments while a baby and toddler, with handwork, smocking, etc. My mother and grandmother made home decor when my parents bought their first home – bedding, slipcovers, window coverings, etc. It was a model mid-century look!

Then, when I was 4 years old, my grandmother took me to 7th Street in South Philadelphia. At that time, it was the central location for notions. She bought me my first thimble – so tiny! – and taught me how to use it. (And then was later disgusted when I stopped using one as a teen!)

I made clothing for my baby dolls and Barbies. Each piece was critiqued by one of the “sewing sisters”, and if it wasn’t done properly, I had to rip and re-do. As I grew, I learned to make my own clothing. By high school, I was sewing entire outfits. My home ec teacher refused to believe that I made my own project: a dirndl skirt, a ruffled prairie blouse, and matching blazer – high style in 1978! She failed me, which led to my mom storming the school insisting she reverse the grade, bringing with her examples of my work from that year.

I continued to sew. By my 20s, I was making lined, tailored garments. I bought high quality, EXPENSIVE apparel fabrics – wools from Italy, crepe from France, lawn prints from England. I could duplicate something in a fashion magazine.

My great aunts will still around, though quite elderly. My one aunt had had a stroke, and couldn’t speak, but her mind was still sharp. One time, I showed her a blouse I was making, and using signs, indicated her displeasure with my collar. Finally she grabbed a seam ripper and pointed at it, making it me rip it out right in front of her so I’d do it properly!

In my mid 20s, my mom and I took a hand quilting class together. Quilting hadn’t been part of our family’s background, but we really enjoyed doing it. And now I have that skill in my toolbox, as well!

Now, I’m 50. I don’t sew as much for my own clothing – a few cotton tops, mostly. I’m no longer in the office-type workforce, and I’m no longer the style maven I once was! But now, I enjoy sewing for my home. I’ve made custom bedding, window coverings, lampshades, upholstery, etc. I get the exact look I want, saving HUGE amounts of money.

Best of all, I get the satisfaction that comes with creativity and industry. I look at my home, and think “*I* made that! And I love it!”

p.s. How far back does this go in my family? On my guestroom bed I have a linen coverlet made by my great-grandmother. The flax was grown near her home in Sicily. She wove it into linen damask, sewed it, then hand-embroidered the entire thing. I am so lucky to have this 110+ year old textile heirloom!

I learn to sew in High School just the basic ,then I started help my sister who was a seamstress and did sewing as a second job. While she was at work I would lay and mark,cut,sew darts at first and I continue till I made a complete suit.I’ve been sewing now for 40 more years .

I was first introduced to a sewing machine very young, my brother was very crafty and would make marionette puppets. He used the sewing machine to construct the clothes for the wooden dolls.
When I entered 12th grade my school offered us a sewing class, I was delighted (I think the only one…). I made a bag and everyone in my family were waiting for me to make them theirs!
After high school I didn’t sew much, until this past summer I enrolled in a beginners sewing boot camp and got back into shape I love sewing as it its a great way for me to express my creativity and a great hobby!
A real plus is that I fell as if I am living my legacy. What does that mean you may ask? My paternal grandmother and my mothers great aunt were exquisite seamstresses, and I am named after them both.

My Grandmother taught me how to hand so when I was 6 and she lived with us. Later an aunt taught me more sewing. I now have a sewing business. I love your fabrics. Most of what I do is bridal alterations.

I first learned how to sew by hand when I was little then again in junior high ( but luckily this time with a machine). But it wasn’t something I did all the time. I got back into it after I had my first son. I found it gave me an outlet for my creativity. As well as giving me a sense that I have made something practical and useful with my own hands. I really find satisfaction from finishing a project and from doing it well. Or learning something new. I think it is a skill everyone should have.

I learned to sew a few years ago. My mom has sewed my whole life. Growing up, she sewed most of our clothes, including holiday and special occasion dresses. I loved going to the fabric store and looking through all the pattern books. Knowing that my dress would be different from anyone else’s was the best part. She even sewed my full lace wedding dress.
I still love the fabric store and am a bonafide fabric/pattern hoarder and avid quilter. I get such a feeling of accomplishment when I finish one of my projects. I give quilts as gifts and it seems that everyone is overjoyed when they receive one. I hope to someday pass on the love of sewing to future generations just as my mom and grandmas have done.

I first started sewing when my daughter was little. I made all of her school clothes. My mom always made quilts so she taught me how to make a quilt and I fell in love with quilting. Now quilting is my favorite thing to do.

This year marks the 53rd year I have been a home sewer! My mother was a seamstress and taught my sisters and myself to sew, I was 5, the two older girls were 11 and 13. This year I will do my first upholstery project by covering my mother’s two favorite easy chairs She passed away in 1999, so they really need it! I have been a fan and customer of OFS for the last two years. You have provided the fabric for a perfect backdrop at an outdoor wedding, and bridal party table, along with outdoor fabric to spruce up the deck furniture cushions. I am really looking forward to another 25 years or so of sewing with OFS! I love the choices we have!

Thanks so much for sharing your story Cindy! Would love to see some photos of the wedding and/or deck furniture if you’re open to it We really appreciate you being part of our community and look forward to connecting with you about your projects for a long time to come!

Although I learned to sew in my grade 9 Home Ec class and was consequently saved by my aunt, a seamstress, who helped me with a plaid top that I almost burned before completing it for the final exam; I did have an incredible desire to learn how to quilt after a vacation out East when I spotted all those beautiful quilts…. the rest is, as they say, history!!!

I learned to sew from my mom who learned from her mom and sisters. I was the only girl in my family so my mom always made my clothes and I had a closet full. We would go window shop at stores and then my mom would go home and make me a similar dress but even better.
When I was born my aunt who sewed told my mom that if she would name me Sheila she would always sew for me. So I have the name Sheila and had many dress from my Aunt Izzy. Even after my cousin Shena came I still received one dress a year that Aunt Izzy made especially for me.
When I took Home Ec at school I always brought my sewing projects home for my mom to help show me what to do. She was a wiz on zippers having sewed in a sewing factory setting in zippers. I was never as good as her but I can do zippers!
When I was 21 both my parents were killed in an auto accident. I was pregnant with our first child and had counted on my mom to made my maternity clothes. So I really had to learn to do it all myself and I did.
I sewed for all my children 2 girls and 2 boys. Making both my girls wedding dresses and all the attendants too.
Now I sew for my grandchildren 2 girls and 7 boys so far.
Sewing items for my love ones is a special gift for them and for me.

I remember watching my grandma mend clothes. I was very young but I remember every thing she did. I loved the button tin. I would spend what must have been hours sorting the buttons. I was forbidden to touch her treadle machine but it was irresistible. The smell of the drawers and all the neat trinkets. The huge cold black petal that moved that my grandma heard move wherever in the house she was. Great memories I have when I sew now. I still love all the trinkets and buttons.

Abbey, I just want to thank you for asking this question. The stories have been great–some funny, so many tender. They make it so clear that sewing isn’t just something we do, it is a huge part of who we are, and teaching someone to sew creates a bond that extends beyond a single lifetime.

I learned to sew in 8th grade. Prior to that I had only done things like embroidery and needlepoint. My mother and grandmother we great sewers and it turned out I wasn’t bad either. I sewed most of my clothes for 15 or 20 years. Now I sew things for the home – bedding, draperies, lampshades, pillows, etc. I’ve also been known to make a bag or two. I have always loved making stuff and sewing fits right in with that passion.

My mom sewed all my clothes when I was a little girl in the late 50s/early 60s. She was great at choosing patterns and fabrics that complemented each other and my “chubby” frame. (Anyone remember that there actually WERE chubby patterns?) I had a new dress for every holiday — Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, first day of school, community fiesta — you get the idea. I’m ashamed to say that when I became a snotty teenager, we argued about lengths– it was 1968, after all — and sometimes I even refused to wear what Mother had made because I thought it was too long. What a brat!

During that time, I learned to sew, just simple shifts at first, then more complicated dresses. The first thing I made with set-in sleeves, a collar, and cuffs was a poet shirt for my boyfriend. Later, I made my honeymoon going-away suit, complete with bound buttonholes. (BTW, to quote Jane Eye, “Reader, I married him.”)

Through the years, I sewed for my two daughters, making holiday-appropriate clothes, just as Mother had done. And now, many years later, I’m in the process of sewing coordinating outfits for my granddaughters, Harper, Reese, and Reagan, ages 5, 2, and 6 months. I love carrying on the tradition! Mother isn’t here to see it, but I hope somehow she knows.

I empathize Christine! It’s funny how it takes years to finally realize how “bratty” we were sometimes I loved hearing how your sewing skills were passed along to you and that you’re continuing the tradition, making things for Harper, Reese and Reagan!

My mom sewed me an outfit when I was in kindergarten. It was a vest and skirt with lace all around it. Since then I always wanted to learn to sew. I am new to sewing so I thought I would start easy and make a quilt. It has been a journey but a fun one for me since my mom has been there with me all they way. Last year my husband and I bought a camper. This camper needs some TLC so I am wanting to make curtains and seat covers. This fabric would be the perfect color for it. Can’t wait to see which fabric wins.

Love that you remember that outfit your mom made you for kindergarten Rae-Lynn! How awesome you get to use those skills she passed along to transform a space you and your family will likely enjoy together for a long time to come

I started sewing at age 6 on our old treadle sewing machine. Mother let me practice for hours with lined paper and a threadless machine. My first project was an apron so I could remain somewhat clean as I helped un the kitchen was I ever proud of that apron.

My mom often sewed for her family on her Kenmore console. I recall a brown textured fabric shift dress with sheer orange sleeves (I picked out the colors). I loved that dress. I learned to sew by watching her but also in 7th grade Home Ec class. My first project was an A-line skirt in navy fabric, learning to pin correctly was the most valuable skill I learned then. When my 2 boys were small, I sewed them both vest and pants outfits for Easter, one in pine green, the other brown. I bought them both shirts in the same pattern but different colors that matched their outfits. They were so adorable and the pride I took in knowing I’d made that for them was the best. It’s no wonder sewing is a favorite hobby for so many, even now, after so many years since it was an absolute necessity to have the skill.

Sorry in advance for my bad english, but I’m a french canadian!! So there is my little story:
I learn to sew very recently… Last september I thought that I wanted to make the Halloween costume for my 2 1/2 daughter. I wanted her to wear something that I did myself. So I bought a sewing machine, red the instructions, got a princess dress pattern and started my project! After a couple of weeks, i finished the dress and was very pleased with the result even though it was far from perfect… And she was soooo happy to wear it!

So full of confidence with my success, I wanted to sew some more. I was inspired by home designers who were basing their designs on original fabric and decided that my home needed some improvements. Having another baby on the way, I had to redecorated the nursery. I started by making draperies, cushions and a cute laundry bag! Then moved to my daughter new big girl bedroom, then my room. I’m now an expert in simple draperies and cushions! It is so fun to make all those nice things! Maybe I will soon start to make real clothes for my children now, next step!

Looking back, I don’t specifically remember having a distinct thought of “I want to sew because…” However I do believe my need to be creative and individual (and limited funds for clothes :)) was the catalyst for my “sew” wonderful life. My favorite sewing memory? On christmas eve when I was sixteen I was frantically trying to finish a gift for my boyfriend. The sewing machine I was using was the bane of my existence, always malfunctioning, constant tension problems….you get the idea. My parents gave me my gift early – a new Kenmore sewing machine! I remember the machine was freezing cold from being in the attic where they hid it. Such a fond memory, thank you for prompting it! Cheers!
(PS. My favorite post is from Meredith. Her Marine husband taught her?!? That’s awesome!)

My grandmother taught me to sew at the age of 7. I learned on a treadal machine that has been on our family for decades. First I sewed Barbie doll clothes, then a shorts set for me. Later on in life I made all my clothes in high school including cheer leader uniforms, prom dresses, and even my own wedding dress along with brides maid, and my mother’s dress. Now I use my talent to make all kinds of window coverings and upholstery. I find sewing therapeutic and feel a pride in my finished products.

I started to love sewing when I was about 6. My Great Aunt would make alot of my clothes for me, and she always let me help in some way. When I started middle school we had a sewing class, I was the only one who knew anything about sewing. From hand sewing to machine sewing I loved it. I have created full Renaissance “garb” from the Ladies dresses to cloaks and even knickers. Now I sew alot of my own clothes again I love the look of 50s dresses and outfits and they are so hard to find and so expensive when you do. I love sewing for myself and my friends. I still do garb and love being able to design it as well. So I guess in the end I LOVE to sew for a number of reasons, it reminds me of my Aunt and it is also a sense of accomplishment, I also love it because even being a arthritis and Fibro sufferer it makes me feel like I can still do something that I used too.